FLETCHER FEUD WITH GOP STILL RUNNING STRONG

Fundraiser dispute latest rub between party and candidate

San Diego 
Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher sent $5,000 from his campaign coffers to the local Republican Party a little more than two weeks after he left the party to run for San Diego mayor as an independent.

No, Fletcher hasn’t had another change of heart. The party took Fletcher to small-claims court after one of Fletcher’s supporters balked at paying the promised sum for the party’s annual fundraiser last month. Fletcher paid the money Friday to end the dispute.

It’s the latest example of the widening chasm between Fletcher and the local Republican Party, which once considered him a rising star with the potential to run for higher office.

The party — infuriated with Fletcher’s frequent attacks on its endorsed candidate, City Councilman Carl DeMaio — has tried to paint the assemblyman as an untrustworthy politician whose only motivation is his own personal ambition. Fletcher says that rhetoric epitomizes the divisiveness in today’s partisan politics that led to his defection.

The vitriol from both sides seems to bolster the conventional wisdom that Fletcher made an all-or-nothing gambit by going independent. If he becomes San Diego’s next mayor, he’ll become a political golden boy with unlimited potential. If he loses, his future in politics will be all but extinguished.

The stakes are also high for the Republican Party. The mayor of San Diego has been a Republican since the 1960s, with the exception of Democrat Maureen O’Connor from 1986 to 1992. But now the city has far more registered Democrats (40 percent) than Republicans (28 percent), and the Republican stranglehold on the city’s top job is in jeopardy. A win by an independent Fletcher or Democratic Rep. Bob Filner could be viewed as evidence the Republican Party’s dominion over city politics is weakening.

John Dadian, a Republican political consultant who isn’t involved in the race, said the sparring between Fletcher and the party is unfortunate and unnecessary.

“I think this so-called feud is hurting the county party much more than it’s hurting the candidate for mayor,” he said. “Because they look petty and foolish, and the candidate looks like he’s done something out of good conscience.”

Dadian added, “I think the county party itself will be in a very tight position if the runoff is between Bob Filner and Nathan Fletcher.”

If no one wins a majority in the June 5 primary, which also includes Republican District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, the top two finishers advance to a November runoff.

Fletcher angered some by espousing his lifelong dedication to Republican ideals to party insiders when he unsuccessfully sought their endorsement last month. He left the party 18 days later, saying he had struggled with the decision for years. He also frequently criticizes DeMaio at forums and debates.

For a party that insists on loyalty, Fletcher’s March 28 declaration of independence drew a swift and harsh response. The state Legislature’s Republican Caucus deleted his official Assembly website. Tony Krvaric, the local party chairman, accused Fletcher of being a flip-flopper and issued a news release with Fletcher’s face above these words: “He can’t be trusted.”

The lawsuit, filed April 9 in small-claims court, is the probably the best example of how bitter the dispute has become.

Fletcher said he joked with others about the consequences of leaving the party. “ ‘What are they going to do? Sue me?’ And they did,” he said.

The dispute involved a major Republican donor’s pledge to pay $5,000 for a table at the annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner, a party fundraiser held March 2. The unidentified donor refused to pay after he disagreed with the party’s endorsement of DeMaio. Fletcher said he paid the money because he filled the table with his supporters and it was the right thing to do.

Krvaric described it as a debt Fletcher owed and was trying to skip out on. He also said he won’t apologize for poking holes in the Fletcher narrative that his decision to leave the party was a principled act.

“He’s trying to present himself as something that he’s not,” Krvaric said. “This is somebody who was a partisan Republican and is trying to sell himself as something different. So it’s our obligation to make sure that they know that he is just a self-serving politician who will say or do anything to get elected.”

Fletcher called it ironic that Krvaric is labeling him a partisan Republican when he frequently criticized Fletcher for reaching across the aisle to work with Democrats in recent years.

“The response has demonstrated the problem, which is party insiders are more interested in playing petty games than solving problems,” Fletcher said. “It’s all about keeping score and punishing people who don’t toe the line and rewarding people who do toe the line. … They aren’t serious people concerned about improving regular people’s lives. They’re political party insiders who are focused on childish, petty games.”

A poll conducted last week by SurveyUSA for KGTV showed that Fletcher’s support has increased among Republicans since his split from the party. Likely Republican voters favored DeMaio the most with 39 percent, while Fletcher received 33 percent. A similar poll by SurveyUSA in February had DeMaio with 35 percent and Fletcher with 19 percent among Republicans.